Best Time of Year to Cut Back Crepe Myrtles

• #2

They tend to die back a little after fall pruning, so I'd probably wait until spring. They're vigorous growers, and I've had good results anytime during the first half of the growing season.

• #3

They tend to die back a little after fall pruning, so I'd probably wait until spring. They're vigorous growers, and I've had good results anytime during the first half of the growing season.

Thank you. Many suggested (google search) fall was the best time but didn't mention the dieback. That's why I asked here, for trusted advice. If you don't mind, would you suggest a big chop? I'm not scared, it's just a little guy in a nursery pot. I have a much nicer one from Zach Smith, so I am willing to be bold with this one.

• #6

If you don't mind, would you suggest a big chop?

No, I'd set it on the ground next spring, let the roots escape and get that trunk fattened up first. It would double in a growing season...and then I'd chop it the following spring. I like bigger trunks, and with CM, you need a bigger tree for the flowers to work. CM blooms at the end of long new growth, so a small thin tree will look goofy with long shoots and blooms at the end.

I have just one CM growing for bonsai, and they're not the easiest candidates because they do grow so fast. It's tricky to avoid sucker growth, taperless trunks, congested knots of multiple shoots, and random branch dieback. The challenge is getting even branch spacing and good ramification which will support blooms. Mine has been in and out of the ground several times just to try to get it on a decent path. It's grown to 8' tall several times over and I'm pretty sure I don't want it over 24"...

• #7

Depends if you want it to bloom. It will only bloom on this year's new growth. You can prune hard as late as May 1, and you will still get flowers come August (or at least I do here in NoCar). However for bonsai you will need to prune several times per season or the tree will run away on you. Also, if you are going to prune in the Fall, make sure that you do so early enough in the season that new growth won't get caught by an early frost. Aside from that, crepe myrtle = prune, defoliate, prune, defoliate It is pretty much an on-going process as long as the tree is in active growth mode. Otherwise the challenge is exactly as Brian put it - you have to develop enough ramification to spread the strength over lots of buds so that it won't run as much when you let it rest for the flowers... and the plant will fight you as you try to ramify it.

By the way that is an unusual looking crepe myrtle. None of mine have those long narrow leaves.

• #9

By the way that is an unusual looking crepe myrtle. None of mine have those long narrow leaves.

They are different from my landscape plant First one is landscape.

• #11

So, I thought this one was a goner for sure. We had snow the end of April and a few days in the 20's. My crape from Zach had completely leafed out, but this one sat like the dead. I know they can be late, my landscape one is always the last thing in the yard to wake up. But this one showed no signs of life. I scowled at it everyday when I walked past it but today I saw this.

• #13

I know, right, how exciting! Even my husband who has been bitching about keeping the dead thing around was somewhat impressed. He was ready to use it to start the firepit.

• #14

A couple of weeks later. I guess it's too late to cut back now if I want to see it flower.

• #16

For what it's worth, I haven't been letting any of mine flower for about the last 5 years or so because they just get pruned too often. The flowers are the stars in landscape trees, but in bonsai I think the main feature can be the trunk and the peeling bark. Most of mine are small trees so having flowers is pretty difficult. I might be able to make it look good on my new big one - we'll see how that goes.

As far as branch pruning goes, you should be able to do it all throughout the growing season (assuming you aren't concerned with flowers). Sometimes I do get some dieback of the fine twigs and the ends of some branches but I've never lost entire branches. One trick is to let it grow outside of your intended canopy size in the fall to compensate for some die back over winter. I agree with Brian and Zach about a trunk chop though - I would do that in spring. I did a trunk chop and drastic root prune on a dwarf crape in late May a few years ago (for the mame contest) and it responded very well.

Thank you, very good information that I will definitely take to heart. This thing really got away from me. It went from starting to bud out to crazy wild in a couple of weeks. I had given up hope that it would even wake up. I have placed it in my flower bed as @Brian Van Fleet suggested, to let the roots maybe grow through the pot to thicken the trunk up.

Best Time of Year to Cut Back Crepe Myrtles

Source: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/best-time-to-cut-back-crape-myrtle.46080/

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